Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 13 020
Apply for RFA MH 13 020
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Competitive Revision Applications for Research on Neural Processes Underlying Sex Differences Related to Risk and Resilience for Mental Illness (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242 Mental Health Research Grants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 13, 2011 and posted on Dec 13, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 13, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $3,700,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) County governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Independent school districts Private institutions of higher education City or township governments Special district governments For profit organizations other than small businesses Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Small businesses Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education State governments.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Faith based or Community based Organizations Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply. Non domestic (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
This government grant opportunity, titled "Competitive Revision Applications for Research on Neural Processes Underlying Sex Differences Related to Risk and Resilience for Mental Illness (R01)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-MH-13-020), was issued by the National Institutes of Health, with leadership from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH). It was a discretionary grant program in the health research category (CFDA 93.242, Mental Health Research Grants) and was designed to add targeted, hypothesis-driven aims onto already-funded NIH R01 projects through a revision application mechanism (what was formerly referred to as a competitive supplement). In practical terms, the FOA was not primarily aimed at starting brand-new standalone projects; it was aimed at strengthening and extending existing R01-funded research programs by adding focused work that directly addresses sex differences in neural processes tied to mental illness.
The core scientific goal was to accelerate basic and translational research on the neurobiology of sex differences as they relate to mental health. The FOA emphasized studies that explicitly test hypotheses about neural mechanisms that differ between males and females and that can explain differences in risk, resilience, onset patterns, symptom profiles, or trajectories of mental disorders. A central expectation was that applicants would go beyond simply including sex as a demographic variable or running exploratory subgroup analyses. Instead, the proposed revision work was expected to be mechanistic: it needed to directly interrogate neural processes (for example, circuits, systems-level function, neurodevelopmental pathways, neuroendocrine influences, synaptic or cellular mechanisms, or other brain-based biological pathways) that could plausibly account for sex-linked differences in vulnerability or protection.
Another key feature of the announcement was its emphasis on relevance to etiology and pathophysiology. Applicants were expected to present a clear and compelling rationale for why the added revision aims would meaningfully advance understanding of how mental disorders develop and/or what biological processes underlie them in males and females. That generally implies that competitive applications would connect proposed neural mechanisms to clinically meaningful outcomes, such as differential prevalence rates by sex, differences in age of onset, distinct symptom dimensions, treatment response variability, or known sex-linked developmental windows. The FOA also signaled interest in translational work, which typically means bridging levels of analysis (for example, aligning animal and human findings, linking biomarkers to behavior and symptom domains, or using neuroimaging and computational approaches to connect circuitry with clinical phenotypes) rather than remaining purely descriptive.
From a funding and administrative standpoint, the program did not require cost sharing or matching. NIH listed an estimated total funding amount of $3.7 million for the FOA. The announcement was posted on December 13, 2011, with an original and current closing date of March 13, 2012, and an archive date of April 13, 2012, meaning it was a time-limited solicitation with a single major receipt window rather than an ongoing program. As an R01-related opportunity, awards would follow NIH grant policies and expectations around rigor, approach, and significance, while also being evaluated on how convincingly the revision aims addressed sex-difference mechanisms in ways that the parent award did not already cover.
Eligibility was broad and included many types of domestic U.S. organizations, such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) entities), small businesses and other for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special district, and certain housing authorities). The FOA explicitly included a wide range of mission-specific and community-focused institutions as eligible applicants, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, faith-based and community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and tribal governments (including federally recognized and other tribal entities). Notably, the announcement also allowed non-U.S. (foreign) institutions to apply, allowed non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations to participate, and permitted foreign components as defined by NIH policy, signaling an openness to international expertise and cross-national research resources when scientifically justified.
For applicants looking for the complete requirements, the NIH provided the full announcement online through the NIH grants guide (linked in the FOA materials). NIH also listed points of contact through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster email for access or technical linking issues. Overall, the opportunity can be understood as a targeted push by NIMH and ORWH to make existing R01-funded mental health research more biologically informative about sex differences, with a clear expectation that proposed additions would be hypothesis-driven, mechanistically anchored in neural processes, and positioned to clarify why males and females can differ in mental illness risk and resilience.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title and funding opportunity number for this grant?
The opportunity is titled "Competitive Revision Applications for Research on Neural Processes Underlying Sex Differences Related to Risk and Resilience for Mental Illness (R01)" and the Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-MH-13-020.
Which agencies were responsible for this funding opportunity?
The opportunity was issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), led by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH).
What type of grant mechanism is this opportunity based on?
This was an R01-related opportunity that used a revision application mechanism (formerly referred to as a competitive supplement). It was intended for adding targeted new aims to an already-funded NIH R01 project rather than proposing a completely separate new standalone project.
Is this opportunity intended for brand-new projects?
No. In practical terms, the FOA was not primarily aimed at starting brand-new standalone projects. It was aimed at strengthening and extending existing R01-funded research programs by adding focused work through a revision application.
What is the main scientific goal of this funding opportunity?
The core goal was to accelerate basic and translational research on the neurobiology of sex differences as they relate to mental health, specifically focusing on neural mechanisms that can help explain differences between males and females in risk, resilience, onset patterns, symptom profiles, or trajectories of mental disorders.
What kinds of sex-differences questions did the FOA emphasize?
The FOA emphasized studies that explicitly test hypotheses about neural mechanisms that differ between males and females and that can plausibly explain sex-linked differences in vulnerability or protection related to mental illness.
Does simply including sex as a demographic variable meet the expectation of this FOA?
No. The FOA stressed that applicants should go beyond including sex as a demographic variable or conducting exploratory subgroup analyses. The revision work was expected to be mechanistic and directly interrogate neural processes that could account for sex-linked differences in mental illness risk or resilience.
What does "mechanistic" mean in the context of this FOA?
In this FOA, "mechanistic" means the proposed aims should directly interrogate neural processes (for example, circuits, systems-level function, neurodevelopmental pathways, neuroendocrine influences, synaptic or cellular mechanisms, or other brain-based biological pathways) that could plausibly explain sex differences related to mental illness.
What is the expected relationship between the revision aims and the parent R01 project?
The revision aims were intended to add targeted, hypothesis-driven work onto already-funded NIH R01 projects, specifically addressing sex differences in neural processes tied to mental illness in ways the parent award did not already cover.
How important was relevance to etiology and pathophysiology?
It was a key emphasis. Applicants were expected to provide a clear and compelling rationale for how the added revision aims would advance understanding of how mental disorders develop (etiology) and/or what biological processes underlie them (pathophysiology) in males and females.
What kinds of outcomes or connections were applicants expected to address?
Competitive applications were generally expected to connect proposed neural mechanisms to clinically meaningful outcomes such as sex differences in prevalence rates, differences in age of onset, distinct symptom dimensions, treatment response variability, or sex-linked developmental windows.
Did the FOA encourage translational research?
Yes. The FOA signaled interest in translational work, typically meaning research that bridges levels of analysis (for example, aligning animal and human findings, linking biomarkers to behavior and symptom domains, or using neuroimaging and computational approaches to connect circuitry with clinical phenotypes) rather than remaining purely descriptive.
What is the CFDA number and program category for this opportunity?
The opportunity was in the health research category under CFDA 93.242, Mental Health Research Grants.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The program did not require cost sharing or matching.
How much funding was NIH estimated to make available under this FOA?
NIH listed an estimated total funding amount of $3.7 million for this FOA.
When was the opportunity posted, and what were the key dates?
The announcement was posted on December 13, 2011. The original and current closing date was March 13, 2012. The archive date was April 13, 2012.
Was this an ongoing funding opportunity?
No. It was time-limited and described as having a single major receipt window rather than operating as an ongoing program.
What kinds of U.S. organizations were eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included many types of domestic U.S. organizations, such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) entities), small businesses, other for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special district, and certain housing authorities).
Were mission-specific or community-focused institutions included as eligible applicants?
Yes. The FOA explicitly included institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, faith-based and community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and tribal governments (including federally recognized and other tribal entities).
Could foreign (non-U.S.) organizations apply?
Yes. The announcement allowed non-U.S. (foreign) institutions to apply.
Could foreign components participate in projects funded under this FOA?
Yes. The FOA allowed non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations to participate and permitted foreign components as defined by NIH policy.
What does the inclusion of foreign components suggest about the program's scope?
It signals openness to international expertise and cross-national research resources when scientifically justified.
How would applications be evaluated at a high level?
As an R01-related opportunity, awards would follow NIH grant policies and expectations around rigor, approach, and significance. In addition, applications were expected to be evaluated on how convincingly the revision aims addressed mechanistic sex-difference questions in neural processes in ways not already covered by the parent award.
Where could applicants find the full official announcement and requirements?
NIH provided the full announcement online through the NIH grants guide (linked in the FOA materials).
Who was listed as a contact for access or technical linking issues?
NIH listed a point of contact through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster email for access or technical linking issues.
What is a practical way to summarize what this FOA was trying to accomplish?
It was a targeted push by NIMH and ORWH to make existing R01-funded mental health research more biologically informative about sex differences, with a clear expectation that proposed additions would be hypothesis-driven, mechanistically anchored in neural processes, and positioned to clarify why males and females can differ in mental illness risk and resilience.
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